Norma Kamali
Norma Kamali for Wal-Mart Available on Roiworld.com
What: Tired of going all the way to Wal-Mart to buy Norma Kamali’s latest frugal fashions? Thanks to Roiworld.com, you don’t have to. The “virtual world” website is letting users try on Norma Kamali’s spring 2010 collection for Wal-Mart with their avatars, and then click to buy the actual items on NormaKamaliCollection.com.
What They Say:
“What makes this interesting is that Kamali isn’t selling virtual goods in Roiworld.com—which is what brands like K-Swiss and Rocawear have done in the past—the designer is using the game as a platform to sell real clothes.”
What We Say: The idea of trying clothes on via an online avatar and then buying them at nearly the same time seems like a cool—and certainly inventive—concept. We’re looking forward to seeing if this is a concept that catches on with web-savvy customers. What do you think?
Norma Kamali’s New Line On eBay
What: Designer Norma Kamali, who designed a line of affordable work-wear for Wal-Mart earlier this year, is branching out once again. The fashion legend is launching an exclusive line of clothing called Norma Kamali-bay, which will be available exclusively on eBay with prices that are $250 or less.
What Norma Says:
“We did a little experiment over the summer on eBay and we found that people wanted Norma Kamali design—like, really design—so it’s the antithesis of the Walmart collection, which is timeless style, simple little black dress, great trousers, that kind of thing,” Kamali says.
What We Say: We love shopping online and getting discounted designer clothes, so Norma Kamali’s new collection for eBay is a match made in heaven from our point of view. It’ll be interesting to see how the collection is received by buyers, and whether more designers choose to follow suit and jump on the eBay bandwagon in the future.
Norma Kamali Suits on a Budget
No one knows budget better than teachers—seriously, dressing professionally on a teacher’s salary? It’s a challenge. Fortunately, Norma Kamali —who we just keep finding new reasons to love—is on it. Apparently public schools are her pet cause, and with teachers in mind she’s designed suiting separates that are, er, suitable for teachers, and any other budget-conscious professional woman for that matter. We’re talking serious budget—just $20 for a jacket, and skirt or pants for $15 each. Where, you ask? Wal-Mart. Don’t shoot us. We’re just the messengers.
The current selections are sold out in stores but can still be picked up online, and new pieces will be available seasonally.
How to Shop Walmart
We can hear the collective groan from all of the fashionistas who turn up their noses at shopping the aisles of the local WalMart. We realize that shopping for workwear just yards from the frozen food aisle might not make for the most aesthetically appealing shopping experience, but bear with us.
Know Your Lines. Not all products at Walmart are created equal. We have a couple of lines we really like—George, Metro7, and currently Norma Kamali (primarly available online). Look to the George collection for on-trend workwear (check out this charmuese Kimono blouse, just 10 bucks), and Metro7 is our pick for slightly more casual (but stylish) apparel (example: this short sleeve cowl neck sweater, $12). We’ve given lots of press to Norma Kamali’s line and with good reason—it’s versatile, stylish, and super inexpensive—in a word, a winner. And for the juniors, we’d recommend the new L.e.i. collection for teen-centric denim and tops.
Know When to Shop. Obviously, avoid weekends and evenings wherever possible. However, there’s more to it than that—Walmart stores generally get shipments and restock nightly, so for the best selection, you should arrive early in the a.m. (stop on the way to work), and for markdowns and clearance? Walmart’s mark down schedules differ from store to store, so don’t be afraid to ask your local store manager for their particular markdown/clearance schedule.
Take Advantage of Site to Store Shipping. If you can’t find what you want in your local store but see it online, Wal-Mart offers FREE site to store shipping—meaning you can go online, order items with the Site to Store logo, select site to store under your shipping options, pick your location, and wait for an email telling you it’s arrived. All you have to do is head to the store to pick it up and pay the regular retail price—no shipping charges.
Shoes, Shoes, Shoes. Our experience is this: while some of the shoes you’ll find at Wal-Mart are less than couture, others—and we always find at least a few pairs—are totally cute, affordable, and durable. Angela’s current favorite pair is from Wal-Mart
, for example—George purple patent slingbacks, picked up at regular price for $13, and worn with everything from jeans to dress pants to pencil skirts and more, with multiple compliments every time (and no one can believe they only cost 13 bucks). Kathryn is in love with the cushiony house slippers she purchased for just $5. Again, brand is key—we again would recommend you stick with George, Norma Kamali, and No Boundaries for the best (and most stylish) bets.
Try It On. When you’re shopping at a discount store like Wal-Mart, you will have to understand that certain elements are just not going to be perfect. Fit is one of them. While that’s not to say you can’t get a great-fitting garment there—we certainly have—the fit and construction are not necessarily going to be ideal or consistent, even if you ALWAYS wear a size 9. Unless you enjoy making return trips to the Walmart Customer Service Desk (and if you’ve not done this before, trust us—the lines usually ain’t pretty) take a few moments to hit the dressing rooms and save yourself some grief.
Organic Clothing. Walmart, like many other retailers, is attempting (slowly) to get on the organic clothing bandwagon—and while the offerings are slim, if buying organic is important to you, Walmart stocks a range of apparel items for women, men, kids and babies made with organic cotton (or, interestingly, things like this t-shirt made from cotton and polyester made from recycled Coca Cola bottles—really.).
Norma Kamali at Wal-Mart line in Stores Now
Just got word from TBF reader Shelia, that the Norma Kamali line is now available at Wal-Mart. We’ve been tracking this recent designer budget fashion line for a while now, so we’re glad that it has been finally released. I was just there last week and didn’t see the line in the store, so it must have just been released. If you do head to Wal-Mart to check out the line, please send us your photos as well as your thoughts on the line.
Check out the line on Wal-Mart.com’s website.
Norma Kamali to Create Line for Wal-Mart
Norma Kamali is creating a line of affordable fashions for Wal-Mart. According to WWD, Kamali, who is known for her wearable knit creations,“will create an exclusive collection that will include women’s wear, children’s clothing, accessories, footwear and home items.”
Partnerships aren’t anything new for Kamali, she’s partnered with Spiegel for her Timeless line, a collection of mid-priced interchangable rayon knit pieces, as well as partnered with sportswear/exercise clothing company Everlast, for a line of casual sportswear and with Nordstroms for a plus size line.
While I love the fact that Wal-Mart is trying to partner with a relatively well known designer, Kamali does run the risk of spreading herself so thin that she does none of her many extension lines well.
The line will be sold online at Wal-Mart.com and in stores.
Advertisement
Featured on TBF
Copyright 2003-2009 TBF Group, LLC.